Newbie question: Considering 2000 1500 ext cab.

[cityhix]

Hello forum members. If you guys really hate questions like this then feel free to pass.

I am looking at a 2000 1500 Silverado extended cab. 5.3l motor, LT trim, short bed, 156k miles. The truck has definitely seen some use. Two of the body panels have been poorly oversprayed. As near as I can tell those areas were just beat-up, I don't think it was in a wreck. The interior has some wear, mostly drivers seat. A couple of pieces of plastic trim on the exterior are cracked, etc. It drives very nice, good tires, bed liner. I did notice that some work had been done underneath-dealer says that the fuel pump was replaced. The CARFAX report showed nothing sketchy.

I am not concerned about the wear and tear as I am looking for a work truck. In fact, if I can get a good price because of cosmetic issues, I'm happy. I don't know much about these trucks. I want to know that if the tranny is original, that I can expect another 50k miles before trouble develops (of course, no ones ever knows for sure) and that I should be able to get a good solid 6-8 years out of the truck. I usually drive less than 5000 miles a year which means I'm pretty easy on vehicles.

So, does anyone have any opinions? I got the dealer down to $8950. It seems like a good price, but I thought I would ask the experts. Should I keep looking? Are there any specifics that I should look for?

Thanks guys.

PS I forgot to say it is a Z71 4X4 (if it is a Z71 does that mean it has to be 4X4?)

[waterloo88chev]

as far as your z71 question, dont take my word for 100% accurate, BUT i believe that it doesnt have to be 4x4 to be z71.. as for the rest of the truck.... for a 2000 that is a decent price... but you have to take into account the fact that there are 156k miles...thats obviously not an insanely high number of miles but its up there... you just have to keep in the back of your mind that you are gambling on that engine and probably transmission.. no safe guarantees there

[junior3382]

Welcome to the forum:
That is a lot of miles for a truck only 8 years old, and from your description, it sounds like it has been used, so I would question the long term dependability of the motor and/or transmission...... Average mileage should put it at about 115k, and even with the Z71 package, I would try for a better price then that. Working in the car business, I can tell you more then likely, it was traded in, or bought at an auction for like 2 grand or so, maybe three. Maybe the extent of the wear is not as bad as I pictured when i read this, but ... ... ... Ask them if it was traded in, or purchased from an auction. Then ask to see what that number was.... by law they have to show you, ... ... then offer them 500 bucks over that price! In that case, it would be a good deal, ... otherwise, it might be wise to continue shopping and perhaps consider other options. That is my take on this, take it for what it is.

[o3shortbed]

my neighbor (sp) and friend has a 99 gmc z71 with the 5.3 ive done most of the work on it since hes had it. it has 280K miles on it. ive done the drivers side wheel bareing, Rear U-joints, fuel pump, a few fuel filters ,oil changes and other regular maintaince. still has the orginal tranny and never any work on it. this guy drives his truck hard and it keeps on tickin. he and my dad just took it to louisana from ky. truck ran fine. Z71 has a skid plate on the front diff. and transfer case and better than stock shocks. 4x4's don't

[cityhix]

Originally Posted by junior3382

Welcome to the forum:
That is a lot of miles for a truck only 8 years old, and from your description, it sounds like it has been used, so I would question the long term dependability of the motor and/or transmission...... Average mileage should put it at about 115k, and even with the Z71 package, I would try for a better price then that. Working in the car business, I can tell you more then likely, it was traded in, or bought at an auction for like 2 grand or so, maybe three. Maybe the extent of the wear is not as bad as I pictured when i read this, but ... ... ... Ask them if it was traded in, or purchased from an auction. Then ask to see what that number was.... by law they have to show you, ... ... then offer them 500 bucks over that price! In that case, it would be a good deal, ... otherwise, it might be wise to continue shopping and perhaps consider other options. That is my take on this, take it for what it is.

So when the dealer told me that they would be making a profit of under $100 at the price of $8950, they may have been stretching the truth? I knew that was a sales ploy but I had no idea that they could have as little as $2000-$3000 in to the truck. Wow. My first offer was $7500 and figured I would go to $8000. I left when they stayed at $8950.

Thanks for the advice!

[cityhix]

Sounds like I could buy it and have no issues besides maintainance or I could buy it and find myself crying in a year.

Have the vortec series motors been around long enough to develop a reputation as durable, workhorse motors? I currently drive a F**d with the inline six. I swear, the truck could be a pile of rust and the motor would just keep on purring.

[o3shortbed]

Originally Posted by cityhix

Sounds like I could buy it and have no issues besides maintainance or I could buy it and find myself crying in a year.

Have the vortec series motors been around long enough to develop a reputation as durable, workhorse motors? I currently drive a F**d with the inline six. I swear, the truck could be a pile of rust and the motor would just keep on purring.

the 300 six is a hard motor to beat. not too much power but they'll run forever. the vortec has been around since 95 on the 5.7 in the trucks but the 5.3 is new since 99. the vortec is something to do with the way the heads flow but the 5.3 is a very good motor none the less

[junior3382]

Originally Posted by cityhix

So when the dealer told me that they would be making a profit of under $100 at the price of $8950, they may have been stretching the truth? I knew that was a sales ploy but I had no idea that they could have as little as $2000-$3000 in to the truck. Wow. My first offer was $7500 and figured I would go to $8000. I left when they stayed at $8950.

Thanks for the advice!

A Profit for a dealer is a grey area. They probably bought it for like 3k, added recon and pack which is usually like 750, then depending on when it needed for parts like brakes, tires, inspection and such, I could see them having a total of like 4500-5 grand in it, but making a profit of a 100 bucks at 8950?!?!? No way! That is a sales trick, the salesman makes his commission money based on how much he makes off of you, probably like 25%, therefore, he would like to average like 300-500 a sale, lending to anywhere from a 800-2000 dollar profit on it, not to mention the dealer needs to hold back some too. I hate that I know this, but with out seeing this truck personally, I still hold it is not worth nine grand based off of your description. Go to New Car Prices | Used Car Values - Official Kelley Blue Book Site and do a retail vehicle anaylisis, and take that number lightly. Base it off of a fair to good condition vehicle, then read the fine print in the estimate, KBB does not account for mileage. Right now for a retailer, that truck should have under 120K on it, so based on that from 156K there is a 36 thousand mile difference, at .10 cents per mile that is a 3600 dollar discount. Most people ignore that! Taking that into consideration, and the roughness and usage of the truck, honestly, I would give him more then 6 grand.... now if I am missing something based off of a false understanding of the description you gave, I apologize, however, that is from a salesmans point of view. Now if they will not dicker below where they are at, that may not be the truck. Chevy's are strong, I personally trust them, however, depending on how it was treated, and how many owners it has had, and those miles, I would also think you will be looking at a bunch of minor repairs over the ownership of this truck. It may be worth it for the right price, but you may want to continue shopping. Hope this helps.

[junior3382]

Originally Posted by cityhix

Sounds like I could buy it and have no issues besides maintainance or I could buy it and find myself crying in a year.

Have the vortec series motors been around long enough to develop a reputation as durable, workhorse motors? I currently drive a F**d with the inline six. I swear, the truck could be a pile of rust and the motor would just keep on purring.

On the subject of the vortec, I have had three of the vortec 4.3l and they have paid for themselves, plenty of tourge and relativley decent gas mileage. I trust these V6's, which would lead me to trust the V8's. Chevy got it right.

[cityhix]

Originally Posted by junior3382

A Profit for a dealer is a grey area. They probably bought it for like 3k, added recon and pack which is usually like 750, then depending on when it needed for parts like brakes, tires, inspection and such, I could see them having a total of like 4500-5 grand in it, but making a profit of a 100 bucks at 8950?!?!? No way! That is a sales trick, the salesman makes his commission money based on how much he makes off of you, probably like 25%, therefore, he would like to average like 300-500 a sale, lending to anywhere from a 800-2000 dollar profit on it, not to mention the dealer needs to hold back some too. I hate that I know this, but with out seeing this truck personally, I still hold it is not worth nine grand based off of your description. Go to New Car Prices | Used Car Values - Official Kelley Blue Book Site and do a retail vehicle anaylisis, and take that number lightly. Base it off of a fair to good condition vehicle, then read the fine print in the estimate, KBB does not account for mileage. Right now for a retailer, that truck should have under 120K on it, so based on that from 156K there is a 36 thousand mile difference, at .10 cents per mile that is a 3600 dollar discount. Most people ignore that! Taking that into consideration, and the roughness and usage of the truck, honestly, I would give him more then 6 grand.... now if I am missing something based off of a false understanding of the description you gave, I apologize, however, that is from a salesmans point of view. Now if they will not dicker below where they are at, that may not be the truck. Chevy's are strong, I personally trust them, however, depending on how it was treated, and how many owners it has had, and those miles, I would also think you will be looking at a bunch of minor repairs over the ownership of this truck. It may be worth it for the right price, but you may want to continue shopping. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the low down. KBB is around 12,000 for dealer retail, which assumes excellent condition, this truck is not in excellent condition, it is beat up. Searching online for the last week or so, I have only found a couple of trucks with a similar description for under 10k, dealer or private. I think trucks in my area tend to go for a little more than, say, the national average. It occurs to me that the fact that the drivers seat is pretty worn and some of the panels have been repainted probably means that this particular truck may have belonged to a carpenter or contractor and, therefore, those 156k miles were most likely hard miles. There is a big difference between 156k of freeway commuting and 156k of stop-start around town driving (towing who knows what). Though to put 156k on a truck in 7 years almost requires lots of freeway miles. Arrgh.

The bummer is that I need a 2000 or newer extended cab so that I can put kids in carseats in the back (3d door started in 2000 I think). Unfortunately, my budget (and fear of car payments) has me stuck looking for something in the $8000-$9000 range.

So, junior3382, how long will a dealer sit on a used vehicle before they decide that they need to get it off the lot?